In Passing
by Kraehi
Summary: Ellis and his comrades finally make it to safety, evacuated to a non-infection zone to re-establish some semblance of life.. Ellis deals with his loneliness in the only way he knows how... Ellis x Zoey Possibly some Ellis x Nick
1. In Passing

**I do not own, nor claim to own anything from L4D or L4D2... I just like to play. :3**

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Tired eyes watched the blades of the Helicopter's propeller spun overhead in the window. Soft weeping could barely be heard through the powerful thumps and hum of the blades.. The radio from the cockpit buzzed noisily with voices, but the conversations were unintelligible. The wary young man saw his older comrade lean forward and put his head in his hands, the sleeves of his once pristine suit jacket, now tattered and stained in blood and filth. The large gold rings on his fingers seemed dull and weathered. The con man lifted his head and met his gaze, as if he felt the younger man's eyes on him. Nick took a deep breath and leaned back, pulling the softly weeping Rochelle into a mournful hug.

A deep sorrow filled his heart, an emptiness that couldn't be replaced. An ache and reminder of all that was lost in Savannah and later. Ellis rubbed his exhausted and burning eyes, trying to stave off the tears that pooled in his pale blue eyes. He gripped the bill of his hat and lifted it from his head, running his fingers through his hair aggressively. The loss of Coach weighed upon the remaining survivors like a heavy, suffocating cloud. Ellis replaced his hat and leaned back once more, returning his gaze out of the cloudy window, watching the earth pass below.

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_It seemed like hours when it was only ten minutes as the four survivors pushed themselves beyond the breaking point, fighting their way across a bridge that was completely infested and crumbling beneath their feet. Tremors shook the concrete as the four struggled to climb over the many vehicles as a monstrous creature, dubbed a tank charged after them. Ellis and Rochelle fired their M16's into the crowd of infected that blocked their path as both Coach and Nick fired at the tank. _

_"Molotov!" Nick shouted over the deafening cry of the infected. He took the flaming bottle and flung it in the path behind them, separating the tank and the survivors with a wall of fire, glass shattering on impact and peppering the mottled hide of the monster with shards of glass and alcohol, flaring up the moment it passed through the flames. He roared and grunted as the fire licked at his skin. The survivors booked it as the fire slowed their largest foe, who in fury, slammed his massive fist into a small sub-compact, sending it flying to plow into the survivors. _

_The small vehicle bounced away as it slid on its bumper across the concrete, crashing loudly into another car. Ellis took the blow in the back, but not before he could shove Rochelle out of the car's path. Coach managed to avoid it as well, only his right upper arm getting clipped by the bumper, dislodging his shoulder from its socket. Nick dived when he heard the Tank's fist slam into the car, the car scraping along his back, knocking his breath from him. _

_Ellis' head pounded in his ears, his heart racing as he opens his eyes. He lost his gun when the car's hood collided with him. The mechanic could see nothing beyond the surrounding infected as they fought and clawed over each other to get to the easy target. He swung his fists and kicked desperately, feeling the road around him for some kind of weapon. He couldn't believe his luck when his fingers wrapped around a pipe bomb. Triggering the fuse he flung the weapon, the bleeping distracting the infected's attention from him. _

_A large figure appeared in his line of sight, his heart skipping a beat when nick knelt and pulled the mechanic to his feet. The tank roared once more as it stumbled in their direction, prompting the two to keep moving, trying to catch up to coach and Ro' as the two, firing at the tank and the infected nearby. Hick kept a long fingered grip on the dazed mechanic's wrist as he pulled Ellis along the bridge. The blades of the evac helicopter whirred to life, the pilot shouting into the loudspeaker to tell them to hurry up, liftoff in three minutes. Ellis whimpered, the ramp seeming much to far to get too in under three minutes. _

_"Come on Overalls, keep up!" Nick shouted over his shoulder when the mechanic's wrist was yanked from the gambler's grip when a hunter sprang from overhead, pinning Ellis to the ground, tearing at his chest. "No!" _

_"Go on Nick! I got him!" Coach barked as he ran past in the direction of the fallen comrade. Coach slammed the butt of his shotgun into the Hunters head, knocking it off of Ellis, he fired three rounds into the head of the creature, stilling it permanently. The pavement trembled as the tank approached, Coach hurriedly pulled the fallen man up onto his feet, "Come on man, don't give up on me now. You can make it boy..." Ellis leaned heavily onto Coach as he half dragged half carried the poor boy to safety, When they caught up with the other two, something snaked around the ankle of the large man, pulling his feet out from beneath him, dragging him directly to the Tank, leaving Ellis dumbstruck and the others yelling in alarm. _

_"Coach, no!" Rochelle screamed as she emptied her pistol into the Tank. Nick, having no weapon quickly began to drag Ellis to safety. The monster hefted it's massive arms, roaring in defiance as it finally fell to its death, their large comrade disappearing beneath its bulk. Rochelle screamed and shook with sobs. Nick turned and hollered at her to hurry, there was nothing they could do for their fallen friend. _

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The survivors spent many hours in flight, several moments spent in and out of a consciousness. A medic on the flight crew tended to the survivors wounds and gathered routine information at the start of the flight. Nick was leaning back in his seat, Rochelle having fallen asleep on his shoulder, prevented him from much movement. The con man glanced over at the softly snoring mechanic, watching as his lightly muscled chest rose and fell. The boy's favorite shirt was destroyed by the hunter's claws, causing the medics to discard the useless material and wrap the many furrows of scratches and cuts on his torso. Ellis untied his coveralls and slipped his arms into the sleeves to provide some sort of cover, leaving the front unzipped.

Nick wondered briefly where they were headed, but disregarded the thought almost immediately, as long as there were no more of the zombies, he couldn't care less. Rochelle stirred when the helicopter dipped suddenly. One of the flight crew entered the rear, announcing that they would be landing momentarily. She straightened, Nick's jacket, which he wrapped around her earlier, slid down. She didn't say a word as she met his eyes, hers were red and slightly puffy from crying over the loss of a friend. There didn't need to be any words said.

She got up and sat on Nick's opposite side, close to the dozing Ellis. Gently she shook his shoulder, coaxing him from sleep with the news of their impending arrival to a safe zone. They exchanged words quietly, but Nick couldn't decipher what was being said through the noise of the helicopter blades. As their transport dipped, Nick's stomach churned, exhaustion, hunger and anxiety making him sick. The machine jolted lightly as it touched down, the side doors being slid open as several soldiers jumped into the chopper to aid the survivors out.

Ellis watched in a daze as both Nick and Rochelle was escorted away, a third, young looking soldier, slid an arm around his shoulders, lifting him from the seat onto his feet. As they emerged from the helicopter, he couldn't help but take a deep breath of crisp cool air after hours of being confined in a small, suffocating space. He lifted his gaze, observing his surroundings warily.

Below the helicopter pad he could see several roughly constructed buildings and many, many tents, stretching for many acres. Thick, sturdy fencing surrounded the compound, sharp razor wire topped the fences and ran along the base. There were several guard towers erected along the length, almost like a prison, but the guard's attention was focused on the outside. A nearby lot held many military vehicles, plus some trucks that had in bold print, CEDA along the side. That made Ellis' stomach turn.

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**Thanks for reading, Constructive critism welcome! **

**XOXO Krae 3  
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	2. The Future

**Sorry for the delay in writing this... Heres chapt. 2!**

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The room the survivors were led to smelled like bleach and other chemicals used in a hospital. The gurney beds were hard and covered in stiff, starched sheets and thin pillows. There were no windows, just the beds, and some medical equipment that Ellis couldn't identify. He watched as both Nick and Ro were led to each of their own gurneys as men in hospital smocks approached and handed over gowns to change into. He watched intently as a scowl appeared on Nick's handsome face. Before the curtains around their beds were pulled closed, he met the gamblers green eyes, worry flashing behind them before his head dipped in a nod.

With his view obscured, Ellis turned his attention to the male nurse before him. He set a pair of starched shorts and a gown on the bed next to Ellis, gesturing for him to undress as he asked questions of Ellis' physical state and experience. His body ached, but he did as told and took off his towtruck hat, setting it out of reach of the attendant before peeling off his tattered, stained sleeves of his coveralls, standing carefully, testing his achy leg before kicking out of the material.

"Hi, my name is David, and I will be performing a routine examination and evaluation of you for the safety of the community okay? We will be tending to any wounds that you may have incurred and answer any questions to the best of our ability," the nurse paused while Ellis stumbled a little, pulling up the shorts over her nude ass, looking down at the small sheet of information that was gathered when they were picked up, "First question Ellis, are you feeling any pain?"

The mechanic nodded, "Got real friendly with the bumper of a car to the back o' my head earlier, then a Hunter pounced me." The nurse set aside the clipboard and tilted Ellis' head down, carefully examining the area. He eyed the mechanic's head then moved to write some information on the papers.

"Looks like that hat there protected your head from getting cleaved open, you have no bleeding, just swelling under the skin, you may end up with a bit of a shiner by morning. We'll get you an ice pack and something to take care of the pain. Is there anything else?"

Again the mechanic nodded. "I got a world of hurt in my leg here," he gestured to his left leg, "It hurts when I stand all the way on it," he paused, "What's happenin' here? What's gonna happen to my friends? Where are we?" As he continued, his expression turned fearful, the attending nurse waited patiently, examining his leg until Ellis quieted.

"It looks like you have just overextended a muscle, possibly sprained the joint. As for the rest of your questions; you are in a quarantine zone in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, A town called Naubinway. The virus has not extended this far north fortunately. You and your friends will come to no harm, but we will have to do extensive testing to be sure that you are not carriers of the virus." Ellis stayed uncharacteristically quiet as he absorbed the information. A yelp from Rochelle made the younger man jump to his feet in alarm.

Wincing he moved to rush to Rochelle's aid but the nurse stepped in his path of escape. "Please sit, she is fine, they are probably cleaning her wounds and taking samples of blood." The nurse's placating didn't seem to ease Ellis' worry.

He glared at David the yelled to Rochelle, "Ro! Are you okay?"

Her response came quickly, "Yes sweetie, the nurse is- Sonnuva bee sting!" He could hear Nick's chuckle as she hissed, "They are cleaning my cuts El, they sting is all." Tempered, Ellis sighed in relief and sit on the bed again. The nurse cleaned his wounds and bandaged anything that needed cover. He gave a prescription of Vicodin, and finished his evaluation.

Ellis remained still on the bed as his nurse readied an IV and three vials to take samples of his blood for testing. He also set out a small cup for a urine sample. The mechanic bit his slightly swollen lip anxiously, shrapnel having nicked his lip in the fight across the bridge. Ellis watched the man move mechanically, noting everything and cleaning his hands and replacing his gloves. The nurse turned back to the battered mechanic, peeling open a cleansing packet.

"I need to clean your arm and take some blood and urine, and we will be all done here. Could you lay back for me and relax your arm?" Ellis nodded and climbed up onto the starchy sheets and laid back, staring up at the light fixtures above his cot while the nurse cleaned the apex of his inner elbow. He wrapped a large rubber band around his arm tightly, eliciting a hiss from the mechanic. Ellis allowed his mind to drift as the needle embedded into his vein, making his heart rush slightly.

Ellis turned his head and stared at the curtain separating his view from Nick. He knew the conman would have some sort of dismissive snarl on his face as he was poked and prodded. Nick was a very private man. To be treated like some sort of test subject would be an indignity to the gambler. He tried to imagine Nick as the man he once was, instead of this broken and disheveled man. He pictured Nick's suit pristine and ironed. The gold rings on his fingers glimmering as the light hit the small gems embedded in them. He could see the smoothly shaved jaw, sharp eyes and slicked hair. Nick was the kind of man that could charm the panties off of a Nun.

He was shaken from his thoughts by the nurse who inquired for a urine sample. David left Ellis momentarily to do his business and returned moments later to collect the samples. Ellis sat on the bed, once more feeling empty when a hand rested on his shoulder. He glanced up, his face lighting up into a smile, pale blue eyes meeting green as the conman joined him on his cot.

"How are you doin, sport?" Nick inquired teasingly. Ellis chuckled lightly as Rochelle entered the curtained room. The smile on her face did not reach her eyes as she was pulled closer to her two companions for a tight, group hug. Both Ellis and Ro became weepy, tears leaking from their eyes and they held each other. Nick sucked in a deep breath and circled his arms around the two, deciding in Coach's absence, he would have to take the position of their personal rock. Rochelle clung to Ellis as she wept. The mechanic lifted his eyes to meet Nick's, leaning into him, the conman's fingers threading through the tousled sandy locks of the boy.

The three remaining survivors were led to showers and provided clean, plain clothing. They each took turns enjoying the hot water and generous amounts of soap, nearly scrubbing their bodies raw where not injured. Both Nick and Ellis were clad in plain white tank tops and grey sweat pants. Rochelle was given a grey tee shirt to match her grey sweats. They were all provided with socks and white tennis shoes. The only hint of color in the group was Ellis' favorite hat that he took with him into the shower to clean the months of grime, blood and rancid bile from. Nick shook his head in amazement when the boy returned with the damp cap on his wet hair, but was relieved the boy was granted that semblance of comfort. The three were escorted to a waiting room of sorts to await their instructions and results from the tests to confirm their immunity.

Rochelle nearly cried when she saw news streaming on a closed circuit television. She watched the screen intent to absorb as much as possible. Nick discovered a deck of cards in the bookshelf and was patiently teaching Ellis how to play Texas Hold'em. He moved to crouch behind the mechanic, one hand on the younger man's muscled shoulder, the other pointing to card in the boy's hand, murmuring in his ear instructions. Ellis had a hard time concentrating on the instructions with the gambler's proximity so close to his own. A flush crawled up his neck, tingeing his ear and cheek. He was mesmerized by Nick's lips nearly brushing his right ear, his warm breath teasing the soft curls of his hair that stuck out beneath his cap.

Nick paused, sensing the shift in attention from the younger man. He noticed the red tinge in the younger man's flesh. He stopped talking, diverting his attention to Rochelle, checking to see if she were still engrossed in the television. Content that she was not observing the two, he tilted his head gently, wetting his chapped lips as he leaned in closer, the smooth skin of the mechanic's heated neck made Nick's mouth water as he pressed his lips into the hollow just below his ear. He felt Ellis stiffen momentarily before nearly melting back into the conman, the boy's own soft, dry lips parting in a soft gasp.

Before Nick could get any closer, the door keeping them in the waiting room opened, three men stepping into the room. One appeared to be a Doctor, the other two were soldiers. Three sets of eyes fell on the clipboard in the doctor's hands before glancing at one another, Nick having straightened as the two's moment was shattered. The gambler's heart seemed to accelerate in his chest, a look of alarm and distrust on his face as he eyed the two soldiers.

The doctor picked up what looked like two ID badges on lanyards and handed them both to Nick and Ellis. As Ellis looked at his own badge, he noticed that all of his important information was on it. There was also a barcode. While distracted, two more soldiers entered the room. Nick narrowed his eyes, noticing that Rochelle did not receive a badge. Then, all at once a commotion erupted when the two newest guards lifted the protesting reporter by the arms and began to escort her from the room. The two men went up in arms and tried to rescue their fellow survivor, fearing the unknown.

Over all of the noise and swinging fists, the doctor's voice rang out, loud and clear, "PLEASE! Please calm down!" Nick had been pinned to the ground, Ellis was still struggling to break free of the hold a soldier had on him. "If you would please calm down, I can explain!"

"What the FUCK, man!" Nick spat angrily, feebly struggling from the floor.

The doctor wasted no time, "Please, Miss Aytes needed more testing, she is just fine. And she will be fine and returned to you soon!" He glanced down at the clipboard and back at the two men who glared at him. The soldier pinning Nick, helped the man to his feet, but did not release him. The doctor continued, "There was a complication, an anomaly in her tests, so we have to be sure."

"Have ta' be sure 'bout what, exactly?" Ellis managed through his clenched jaw.

"We have to be sure that her fetus is not a carrier of the disease." Both men were stunned to silence, Ellis' jaw hung open as opposed to Nick's clenching. "Once we are sure that the infant is not a carrier, and her safety is confirmed, we will happily return her to you both. You all are the future of the Human race, so is the child she bears."

Both men's eyes met in stunned silence, their bodies relaxed, assuring the soldiers that they were defeated, they were released. In a daze, the soldiers escorted them from the quarantine building to the inner city, assigning them a temporary residence in one of the many trailers, which contained all the necessities. There were dozens of people who came out to greet the newcomers, congratulating and welcoming them. The guard opened the door to a small trailer that opened to a small living space.

The two were left alone in their small residence, sitting around a small table in the dim lights. Ellis looked up at Nick with disbelief in his eyes. A streak of mischief flashed in the pale blue before he commented, "Damn man, why'd ya have ta' go and get her pregnant?" Nick looked at the younger man indignantly, a hard look in his eyes. The look softened when he spied the crooked smile on the mechanic's soft lips. The look turned to lust as he remembered where they were in the waiting room.

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**Just a note, I got the last names from the voice actors of the characters. So it is sort of my tribute to them to pair their last names with the characters they gave life too.**

**Eric Ladin: As Ellis**

**Rochelle Aytes: As Rochelle**

**Hugh Dillon: as Nick**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

**XOXO  
**


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